Golf-club.



A. C. GOODRICH.

GOLF CLUB.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 9, l9|4 1 ,206, 1 O5. Patented Nov. 28', 1916.

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APPLICATION FILED DEC- 91 1914: 1,206,105. Patented'Nov. 28,1916.

2 $HEET$SHEET 2- 15538 ALONZO c. GOODRICH, OF CHICAGO, rumors.

GOLF-CLUB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Application filed December 9, 1914. Serial No. 876,185.

. T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADONZO a citizen of the United States, and a resldent of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Golf-Clubs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the same, reference being had to t e accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a golf club the striln'ng head or blade of which is movable upon the shaft, so that the head may be adjusted into various angles as required by the shot to be played.

It is an object of this invention to construct a golf club the head of which may be turned through various angles, and yet held rigidly in all positions so that the single club is well adapted for practically any kind of shot, and consequently it is unnecessary for a player to carry and use more than the one club.

It is also an object of this invention construct a golf club the head of which may be turned through various angles to present a striking face of certain inclination to the ball, dependent upon the shot to be played.

It is also an important object of this invention to construct a golf club the head'of which may be turned upon the shank into any desired position, the adjusting means acting to hold the head from movement from its adjusted position.

It is furthermore an important object of thisinvention to construct a golf club the head of which is pivoted upon the shank and guided in its movement by suitable interfitting tongue and groove members and provided with a small worm and gear, the worm when actuated serving to move the head and maintaining the same in any desired position of adjustment.

It is finally an object of this invention to construct a golf club consisting. of few parts,

the head of which is adjustable upon the shank to vary the angle of the striking face of the head, so that the club is well adapted for different shots to be played.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front ele- C. GoonRIoH,

vation of the shank and head of a golf club embodying the principles of my invention with the shaft omitted. Fig. 2 is a rear end View thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line H of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a face View of the lower end of the shank, with the head detached therefrom. Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a modified form of device. Fig. 8 is a rear end view thereof. Fig. 9 is a front end view thereof showing the operation in dotted lines. Fig. 10 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of one end of the head of the typeof club shown in Fig. 1, detached from the shank. Fig. 12 is a similar fragmentary view of the end of the head of the type of club shown in Fig. 7.

The device as As shown in the drawings:

11, comprises a hollow tapered shank 1, adapted to receive the end-of a shaft therein, and provided at its end with an integral heel piece 2, at an angle thereto, which is cored out to receive a small worm 3, journaled therein and secured on or integral with a shaft 4, one end of which projects through an aperture in the side of said heel piece, and is provided thereon with a knurled head 5. The striking head or blade of the club is indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 6, and at its end adjacent said heel piece 2, is rovided with an integral stud having teet cut therein afl'ording an elongated worm wheel 7. A small screw 8, is engaged. through anaperture in the 7 rear face of theheel piece 2, and threaded into said worm wheel stud 7, to maintain the head of the club associated with said shank and heel piece. A downwardly projecting curved tongue 9, is formed integral with the upper portion of said heel piece 2, and inter-v fits with a complementally curved groove 10, formed on the inner end ofthe striking ence numeral 13,-is'provided with a gudgeon or elongated worm wheel 14, the axis of which is at an angle to the axis of the head. As before a small screw 15, engages through the rear surface of the heel piece 12, and threads into the gudgeon or worm wheel 14, to hold the head associated with the shank and heel piece of the club. Said head is also provided with a curved groove 16, into which a tongue 17 integral with the upper portion of the heel piece interfits, assisting in maintaining the head of the club in proper relation to the shank and heel piece thereof.

Another feature of the present construction differentiated from that illustrated in Fig. 1, is that the abutting face of the heel piece and striking head is not at right angles to a plane through the axis of the shank and the axis of the head, as clearly shown in Fig. 10. The purpose of angling the abutting face in such a manner, and of course the tongue 17, therewith, is to cause a component of the stress transmitted through the club when a ball is struck thereby, to be resisted by the angled face of said heel piece and not entirely by the pivotal support or gudgeon 14, of the striking head. As in the construction previously described, a worm is journaled within said heel piece meshing with the elongated worm wheel 14, to adjust said head through various positions and maintain the same so adjusted, and a knurled head 18, is provided-on the outer end of the worm shaft toeifect ready adjustment of the worm.

In both of the constructions described, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 10, a number of graduations are provided on the upper surface of the heel piece along the edge of the tongue member thereof, and an indi cating mark is provided on the abutting edge of the striking head to readily designate a predetermined or any desired adjustment of the head with respect to the shank and shaft of the club.

Another important feature of construction in the modification shown, is what may be termed the eccentric mounting of thestriking head or blade in the heel piece, that is the axis of the pivot of the striking head is not in line with the axis of the shank, but instead is offset rearwardly a slight amount as clearly shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10. Thus the club when used as a putter, that is with the blade in a substantially vertical position, approximates in form the well known type of goose-neck club which has come into such great favor. Of course, however, when the angle of the blade is changed to any other position, the lower edge thereof is advanced forwardly, so that the proper desired alinement of the blade and the axis of the shank or shaft is secured.

The construction of the device is such that there are no projections on the front portion of the shank or striking head, and the lower edge of the club is in line with, or Very closely in line with, the lower front edge of the heel piece 2, in all adjustments of the striking head, an almost essential feature in the construction of a golf club. The worm and worm wheel form an admirable means for adjusting thestriking head into various positions, for the reason that such a mechanism being irreversible, the head is positively held in such position, and cannot be moved therefrom except by turning the knurled head which 'actuates the worm.

I am aware that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the princi ples of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a golf club of the class described, a shank, a heel piece integral-therewith, a head pivoted in said heel piece, a worm wheel connected to said head, and a Worm journaled in said heel piece adapted to adjust the head into various positions.

2. In a device of the class described, a shank, a heel piece integral therewith, a head pivoted in said heel piece, and worm and worm gear connections between said heel piece and said head whereby the head may be adjusted in saidheel piece and held from movement therein.

3. In a golf club of the class described, a shank, a head pivotally mounted thereon, interfitting tongue and groove members on said shank and head respectively to guide and retain the same in proper relation during movement thereof, and worm and worm wheel connections between said shank and head whereby an adjustment is effected between the two.

4. In a device of the class described, a 110 shank, a heel piece integral therewith, rotatable means therein, a head, toothed means thereon adapted to engage said rotatable means to permit changing the angle of the striking face of the device, the connection 115 between said head and heel piece being such as to also change the alinement between the axis of the shank and the axis of the head when said head is adjusted.

5. In a device of the class described, a 120 shank, a heel piece integral therewith, a head pivoted thereon, and rotatable means within said heel piece to permit adjustment of said head through various striking ang es. V

6. In a golf club of the class described, an adjustable head eccentrically pivoted, and worm and Worm wheel connections for adjusting the same into various positions.

7. In a golf club of the class described, 139

a shank, an adjustable head thereon, and worm and wornrwheel connections for adjusting the head into various positions.

8. In a golf club of the class described, a shank, a head pivoted thereon, and rotatable means within said shank for adjusting the head into various positions.

9. In a golf elubof the class described,

' a shank, a 'heel piece integral therewith,

adjusting means Within said heel piece, a head pivoted in said heel vpiece, and means integral therewith adapted to engage said adjusting means to position the head through various striking angles.

through diflerent angles.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed myname in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ALONZO C. GOODRIOH.

Witnesses:

CHARLES W. HILLS, J r., FRANK K. HUnsoN, 

